Back to the Future: TechBldrs Moves to LabTech – Then Back to VSA by Kaseya

When it comes to an RMM solution, you could say that MSP TechBldrs had a bit of buyer’s remorse. The company originally used VSA by Kaseya, and then switched to LabTech. Having seen the error of its ways, two years ago the MSP switched back to VSA and has been happy ever since, said Jonathan Kopec, Service Director for TechBldrs.

Today TechBldrs is focused on VSA, but it is also experimenting with new features like VSA’s ability to deploy software. “We are looking to expand some of the services we provide for our clients, such as remote management, patches, and security,” Kopec said.

LabTech seemed like a perfect choice at the time for the MSP specialized in law and construction; however, the truth came out in its actual use. There were several challenges. LabTech couldn’t do many of the things TechBldrs needed it to, and it didn’t allow the techs to interact with users in a rich and deep manner.

Plus, the user interface was problematic, impacting the user experience. “The GUI was pretty terrible for a lot of new users. It was difficult to onboard them, and just getting it set up from the ground up took a lot more time than it did with Kaseya,” Kopec said. “The turning point for me to switch from LabTech was tickets. With VSA’s Live Connect, it is amazing how fast we are able to remote onto a computer. We are on the phone with the user, and in a couple of seconds we are actually on their computer. There is the visual feedback for the user that you’re actually there and actively working on something instead of fumbling around,” he said.

“The GUI within the new VSA is really good. New users already know where everything is and [can] navigate through pictures as opposed to the words that were on. That makes it very, very easy. You can tell someone to just click on these images instead of words. The onboarding process is now streamlined,” Kopec added.

“The onboarding process is a lot more streamlined than any other RMM. One of the best features is the agent procedures, and the fact that we can push up things very quickly,” he said. These items include patches and software deployment, which need to be done quickly and in a highly controlled fashion.

The Compliance Factor

MSPs, with their many clients, typically have to deal with one or more areas of compliance. With law firms on the Tech Builder’s roster, security and confidentiality are a must. VSA is essential for TechBldrs to uphold high compliance standards, and reporting is critical to proving compliance.

“The built-in reporting feature makes it easy to give people the information they need as far as what their goal is, how we can meet that, how they stand now, and how they’ll stand a week from now,” Kopec said.

Kopec finds VSA’s scripts and procedures make it easy to build solutions to IT tasks and experiment to find the right solution. Meanwhile, the built-in views let the MSP keep track of what is going on in the infrastructure. Here, Kopec said he finds that VSA “doesn’t limit you in what you can do.”

The VSA Competitive Edge

The MSP market becomes more competitive every day. Fortunately for TechBldrs, VSA gives it a clear advantage. “VSA makes us different from our competitors by how quickly we turn things around, such as with deploying out software, patching out workstations, and leveraging reports to let clients know what we have gotten done,” Kopec explained.

Saving are another factor. “We saved a lot just from not having to go to certain places or different client sites because we do a lot of the work remotely,” he added.

Onboarding is also easier. With VSA, TechBldrs’ techs can easily walk an end user through deploying the VSA agent or “onboard an entire client site without having to be there,” Kopec noted.

A Bright RMM Future

So what is Kopec looking forward to next from VSA?

“Software management is definitely something I’m looking forward to. We spend a lot of time managing software with tools we can’t automate. We [also] spend a lot of time managing the software. It will be nice when VSA can help us manage everything and keep it all up to date,” Kopec said.

Doug Barney was the founding editor of Redmond Magazine, Redmond Channel Partner, Redmond Developer News and Virtualization Review. Doug also served as Executive Editor of Network World, Editor in Chief of AmigaWorld, and Editor in Chief of Network Computing.